lamb chops with parmesan and walnut tapenade

Have you ever had one of those days where the recipe you pulled out just isn’t working for you? Not that it’s a horribly violent battle trying to get the recipe to work, but one where you were instantly in rapture when you first pulled it out, immediately running out to your beloved Whole Foods and picking up the ingredients only to bring them home and decide you don’t actually want to make it any more? Yeah, I thought it might just be me on this one. It’s just, you see, I have cravings. Not pregnant cravings, but cravings none the less that can come suddenly and be quite specific. The kind of cravings that can instantly change my mind about a recipe before the groceries are even out of the bags.

I think Josh found it quite alarming when he discovered my propensity towards sudden cravings. More scared of the realization that one day when I am pregnant, these cravings were only going to magnify at about two hundred thousand percent. In fact, an hour ago I told Josh I did not want any oreos when he offered to pick some up for me, and here I am, messaging him that I now want oreos. What is he going to do with me? But I digress. The point is I get moody with what I do and don’t want to eat. Right now I might want a cookie but in five minutes I might want hummus. And Josh’s favorite craving is the “I don’t know, but I want something” as I ransack my pantry and conclude it is not there and we must go to the store. But back to those lamb chops. I was not feeling the recipe. It was not satisfying that craving I had for some good lamb chops.

I started throwing different ingredients together figuring I would do the whole marinating process – that’s tried and true, right? I grabbed some creme fraishe, zested a lemon, threw in a little parmesan, rosemary, garlic, dijon, capers, and a little more capers and decided it was a lamesauce marinade. But this time, unlike my usual sudden cravings switches, a little light bulb went off and I decided to take my marinade to the next level. It went tapenade style and decided to mix in some roasted walnuts left over from this. I blended it together and got a thick-ish paste that I smooshed onto the tops of the chops before baking. Out came tender flavor-full chops with the most delicious marinade gone tapenade I have ever tasted.

Lamb Chops With Parmesan and Walnut Tapenade

True tapenade requires olives and olive oil, neither of which can be found in this recipe. I call it “tapenade style” after watching Anne Burrell make a pistachio tapenade, which prodded my light bulb moment with the walnuts.

Update: If you don’t like capers, or have everything in your pantry but capers, you can substitute it for 1 teaspoon lemon juice instead.

Serves 4

4 rib lamb chops
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup creme fraishe
3 tablespoons chopped capers
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
2 teaspoons minced rosemary
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 lemon, zested
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Pat chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Set them aside and let them rest, allowing them to come to room temperature, about 15 – 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place walnuts on a sheet tray and toast in oven for 3 – 4 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine walnuts, crème fraishe, capers, parmesan, rosemary, garlic, dijon, cumin, and lemon zest and pulse until thick and combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Alternately if you want to make a more traditional “real-deal” tapenade, skip the crème fraishe. Blend the walnuts, capers, parmesan, rosemary, garlic, dijon, cumin and zest together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until everything is combined and comes together in a thick paste and season with salt and pepper.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a medium saute pan and bring to medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the lamb chops and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until brown. Once the chops are dark brown and caramelized on both sides, remove the chops to a sheet pan and spread the tops generously with the tapenade. Place in oven and cook another 4 to 5 minutes for a medium rare chop. Remove chops from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.